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welsh cawl

breezermom avatar
Recipe by
Lynette !
@breezermom
Gulf Breeze, FL

This is a traditional dish from Wales. It is best served 12 to 24 hours after making it to allow the flavors to develop. This is a combination of 6 different recipes, with me picking and choosing the flavors I felt were most authentic and the things I love. I believe that traditionally whatever root vegetables were available were used.

yield 8 serving(s)
prep time 40 Min
cook time 2 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For welsh cawl

  • 1 Tbsp
    olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 lb
    lamb shanks (may substitute beef shanks if lamb is unavailable)
  • 8 1/2 c
    water
  • 2 Tbsp
    butter
  • 1 lg
    onion, roughly chopped
  • 1
    swede (rutabaga), peeled and chopped
  • 3
    carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2
    leeks, roughly chopped (include the green parts to add color...just cut off the toughest end parts)
  • 1 lb
    potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 oz
    parsnip, scraped and coarsely chopped
  • 2 oz
    barley
  • 8 sprig
    fresh thyme
  • 1
    bay leaf
  • 8 oz
    green cabbage, roughly chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp
    fresh parsley, chopped

How To Make welsh cawl

  • 1
    Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. In a Dutch Oven set over medium high heat, add the olive oil. Brown all sides of the meat.
  • 2
    Once the meat is well browned, add the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Transfer the shanks to a cutting board the the broth to a bowl and let it cool. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the bones, and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Skim the fat off the cooled broth. (This will help reduce the gaminess if using lamb)
  • 3
    Using the same Dutch Oven, melt the butter over medium low heat. Saute the onion, carrots, parsnips, and leeks until soft and bright in color. (About 8 minutes).
  • 4
    Add the potatoes, swede, barley, lamb, thyme and bay leaves to the pan. Pour the broth over the veggies. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
  • 5
    At this point, check the soup for salt and pepper; add more if needed. Also add more water if needed. Add the cabbage and cook covered for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; serve and garnish with parsley.
  • 6
    Traditionally, just the broth was consumed the day it was prepared. It was then left on the fire (now you would store it in the refrigerator) for 12 to 24 hours and then reheat and enjoy. Add more water or broth as needed to keep the stew moist. This extra time allows the flavors to meld together and become delicious.
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